Carving out an identity

-Notre Dame tight end John Carlson is emerging as a candidate for All-American honors.

-Notre Dame tight end John Carlson is emerging as a candidate for All-American honors.

November 05, 2006|JEFF CARROLL Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Already known for its inclusion of some wacky athletic competitions, if the International Olympic Committee is ever short an event, it might want to give Notre Dame football roommates John Carlson and Ryan Harris a call. Their dwelling could even serve as a event site. "We compete all the time," said Harris, the ND starting left tackle who shares living space and a native state, Minnesota, with tight end Carlson. "We play video games four hours a week and it is intense stuff. It's not just laid-back, relaxed time. We compete all the time, whether it's putting dishes away or making dinner, there's a competition to be had." On the field this season, there has seldom been any competition too stiff for Carlson. And in Saturday's 45-26 victory over North Carolina, the first-year starter continued to establish his All-American credentials. Carlson had a season-high eight catches against the Tar Heels for 91 yards, giving him 45 receptions for 620 yards on the season. He has now surpassed last year's Irish tight end Anthony Fasano, whose 576 yards were impressive enough to make him a Mackey Award finalist as the nation's top tight end and a second-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft. Whether Carlson's performance this season will earn him similar accolades is a question that will be answered in due time For now, ND quarterback Brady Quinn has certainly caught on to Carlson's prowess, even if opposing defenses seemingly have not. Five of Carlson's eight catches went for Notre Dame first downs on Saturday, giving him 31 first downs on his 45 catches this season. "If they want to leave me open, I'm all for it," Carlson said following Saturday's victory. Carlson's campaign for any postseason honors received a late start, due to his being buried behind Fasano on the Notre Dame depth chart a year ago. Carlson caught just seven passes last season. And he wasn't a huge recruiting grab for the Irish coming out of Minnesota's Litchfield High School in 2003, falling behind a slew of other tight ends in the analysts' eyes, including North Carolina's John Hamlett, who did not catch a pass on Saturday and has just five all season. But one thing Carlson has going for him is athleticism -- he played one year of basketball for Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, and he was also a standout tennis player in high school. Carlson's athleticism was apparent on Saturday when he caught a pass from Quinn near the North Carolina goal line, then battled his way through a couple of Tar Heel defenders into the end zone for his third touchdown this season. Carlson leads the nation's tight ends in receiving yards, and will face competition from Purdue's Dustin Keller, Minnesota's Matt Spaeth and Oregon State's Joe Newton, all players who had reputations entering this season, for postseason recognition. At his current pace, Carlson would finish with 826 yards in the regular season, which would break the Notre Dame single-season record for tight ends of 797 yards held by Ken MacAfee. MacAfee's record 54 catches in 1977 are also in jeopardy -- Carlson is now on pace to catch 60 balls this season. "He's a big dude, now," said Irish coach Charlie Weis of Carlson. "He has a big body. He's a good football player. He blocks well. He's athletic. He can catch. He's dangerous with the ball. He's one of those guys that's been like this all year long." And though Carlson's most visible impact is in the passing game as a sure-handed, 6-foot-8 target for Quinn, Irish running back Darius Walker said it would be wrong to overlook his contribution to the ND running game, as well. "He makes big plays all the time," Walker said, "not only in the passing game, but also in the running game, which people really don't see how good of a blocker he really is." Or how good of a teammate he is, according to his roommate Harris. "I think he's one of the best teammates a guy can ask for," he said. "He's always encouraging. He's always there working hard beside you and he really leads by example, especially for the young guys and that's really a powerful thing, somebody to lead by example and do the right thing all the time." But did Carlson really expect to have this kind of campaign, especially after some Irish fans were practically contemplating visits to the Grotto to keep Fasano in South Bend for a fifth autumn? "I think any competitive athlete expects to be successful," said Carlson, who is a senior but retains a fifth year of eligibility. "I mean, that's what we prepare for. Really I didn't know exactly what was going to happen. I did my best to prepare myself in the offseason, and things have been working out pretty well."Staff Writer Jeff Carroll: (574) 235-6382